


Felbound

by Jastra



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Birds, Curiosity, Gul'dan has an unhealthy interest towards Khadgar, Gul'dan is an evil bastard, M/M, Raven form
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 10:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7219498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jastra/pseuds/Jastra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar's curiosity gets the better of him and he flies a bit too close to Gul'dan while in his raven form. He just has to learn what the powerful orc warlock plots. Much to the mage's bad luck, Gul'dan manages to catch him and places Khadgar inside a cage made of felsteel.</p><p>All that awaits Khadgar is never ending pain and inevitable corruption. The mage's strong desire to see Medivh once more will be his downfall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Felbound

**Author's Note:**

> heya, this is supposed to take place around Draenor patch 6.2 in Tanaan, but it won't have much importance since the main focus is around Gul'dan and Khadgar. Rating may change in next chapter.
> 
> I can't believe I wrote this...I needed a pet project. EDIT: decided to turn this into one shot for now. I just don't have any idea where to take this.

Khadgar's sharp eyes scanned the land below him as he flew across the Tanaan Jungle and towards the bases of both Horde and the Alliance. The events in Draenor had taken a turn for worse and he needed to discuss the next moves with the champions of both factions who had built bases of operation deep inside the Tanaan region in hopes of fighting Gul'dan.

The mage who had assumed the raven form blinked as he studied the corrupted and defiled nature before him; the sight of the hellish and fel twisted forms of trees, animals and orcs made the human wizard feel angry.

It pained to see that foul magic affect the creatures and the nature this way and a part of the human mage had hoped that this had not come to pass, but Gul'dan was a vile, corrupted and throughly malicious creature whose only goal in life was to achieve great power, no matter how many worlds he had to destroy.

The mage sighed in his mind and flew slightly higher when few orcs spotted him, even if they looked more confused rather than suspicious. A raven in Tanaan Jungle was probably not a common sight. Khadgar knew he should have just teleported to the bases, but such magic would just have caught Gul'dan's attention and he didn't want to provoke the warlock to attack the forces who were working together for once...though just barely.

 The raven formed mage spread his wings slightly more, gliding downwards with elegance and without a sound. Gul'dan was aware of his presence and the various orcs and demons would certainly try and kill him if he was spotted. Thankfully the jungle was still teeming with life and one single bird went easily unnoticed, even if raven's were more common in the arakkoa regions. The warlocks and those adept with magic could spot him more easily and he did his best to avoid the novice warlocks and demons.

 It was troubling to see how much damage Gul'dan had done to the verdant forest in matter of few weeks and each passing day made things worse. The fel's taint spread throughout the region like wildfire, leaving everything in its way either twisted, sick or dead. It was truly scary to realize that even the might of the Iron Horde paled compared to that of Gul'dan's and his demons.

 With few strong beats of his wings, Khadgar gained altitude once more, only to catch a strong magical presence nearby, one he could recognize anywhere.

 

Gul'dan was nearby.

 

Khadgar knew he should be cautious and just avoid the dangerous orc warlock who had tried killing him more than once. Yet, the human mage couldn't help his natural curiosity and he stopped to circle over the area from a safe distance and altitude, trying to detect where Gul'dan was.

 It had been weeks since his last sighting of Gul'dan and to sense the dangerous orc warlock this close and almost completely unprotected made the mage curious. _I know I should be cautious...but I have to know what that warlock is up to.._.Khadgar argued with himself. He was not one to go into a battle unprepared, but if he could learn what Gul'dan planned, they might gain an advantage over the dangerous warlock. _I can't pass this opportunity_ , Khadgar finally came to conclusion and headed towards the warlock's direction.

As he flew over the area, the guardian's old apprentice tried to feel if there were other warlocks in the area and he could feel that the orc was surrounded by few lesser warlocks who would not give him much trouble should he have to fight. Gul'dan's fel tainted magical energy was like a beacon to him and it almost felt like it called to him.

 _Could this be a trap?_ The mage wondered, _if I can sense him...surely Gul'dan knows I'm here as well..._ The idea was troubling, but he had made his decision already. Whatever reason Gul'dan had to be out in Tanaan Jungle couldn't be good...He had to at least find out what it was.

With graceful movements, the almost pitch black raven folded his wings and swooped down before spreading them again to glide silently through the thick jungle. Khadgar braced his mind as the fel energies became stronger in the woods and the closer he got to Gul'dan, the sicker the forest became. _That damn warlock will burn this whole world...and Azeroth as well_ , Khadgar thought bitterly. He couldn't let that come to pass.

  _I have to put an end to this,_ Khadgar decided as he flapped his wings. The bird form was most useful and he had managed to get much information from the peons, grunts and other forces who had not taken into a consideration that a raven could possibly be a spy.

 The wizard's raven form could pass perfectly for a black raven if not for the patch of dark brown feathers around his neck that gave hint of his true form. The area resembled the collar he wore in his human outfit.

 

Before long, Khadgar sensed Gul'dan nearby and that he was coming his way. With silent beat of wings, the mage flew onto a branch on the tree and landed on it, trying to look like a normal raven, turning his head and blinking, hopping up and along the branch to get a better view.

The air around him felt suffocating and he had a bad feeling that if he stayed too long in the area, the fel might start to affect his powers and corrupt him slowly...What had happened to Medivh still pained him and he longed to see his master again some day. Medivh and Khadgar had been close...and his master had taught him many things about both knowledge and life...especially the small pleasures if offered. He could still recall the nights they had spent together lying on the bed, flipping through the pages of various tomes. Every now and then Medivh's lips had found his neck or lips, making focusing on the text and various pictures hard....All he wanted was to feel his master's embrace once more. But, he had no time to think of the better and more...pleasant days, not when the fate of the world was at stake. He had to deal with Gul'dan and prevent him from summoning the demons to this realm or Azeroth.

 Gul'dan's corruptive and suffocating presence got closer and closer and Khadgar could feel the fel magic radiate from the trees, ground and air...it was like poison to him, sapping his strength and trying to affect his mind. There was nothing worse than fel magic that corrupted everything it touched. Gul'dan's power and talent to wield that evil magic was truly astonishing and intimidating, making him into a foe that even Khadgar didn't wish to face unprepared.

 The black raven stood perfectly still among the leaves and Khadgar could feel his heart start to race slightly when he saw none other than the slightly crouched orc warlock standing in a clearing that overlooked the hellish citadel in the region. His acolytes were gathered around him and the hooded orc man barked orders at the youngish orcs in a tone that promised death if his wishes were not fulfilled.

 The warlock was in his usual outfit of dark robes and staff that was decorated with bones and skulls of various creatures. With each movement, the small bones and trophies chimed slightly. Everything about Gul'dan whispered death. The tall spikes sprouted from the orc's back and he was crouched slightly under their weight. Yet, even if the warlock looked quite feeble for an orc, Khadgar knew that the warlock could smash his head into bits if he wanted to. There was something very intimidating about how the spell caster could easily use brute strength to smash a seasoned soldier's bones with his bare hands and for some reason Khadgar had a feeling Guldan might just do that to him if he was caught alive.

 _Would my bones decorate that staff_? Khadgar wondered as he hopped from branch to branch.

 The mage held his breath as he observed the warlock trainees grovel before Gul'dan who seemed to be slightly agitated with them. Khadgar observed for a while and before long the acolytes left the warlock alone and hurried into different directions, obeying whatever orders the power hungry orc had given them. Gul'dan was not a kind master and would kill all of them in an instant if he felt like it.

The raven's black eyes followed as the orc spell caster turned towards the corrupted citadel in the middle of the region with a smug and victorious look on his face. The warlock sneered slightly at the sight of the peons who worked far below him. The almost slave like orcs were trying to get everything done in time for their master's arrival. They all would burn in the demons' fire, just like Alliance and Horde would.

The Warlock was about to turn and leave, only to suddenly freeze on his spot. For a brief moment, the human mage in bird form wondered if he had sensed him, but remained still when the orc warlock just touched his tusk thoughtfully, as if wondering something. Those red eyes burning in the shadow of the hood and Gul'dan started to murmur something underneath his breath.

 Khadgar hopped from one branch to another in hopes of hearing what the warlock was muttering.... The human knew he shouldn't approach the warlock without the help of the champions, but he was confident in his skills and if Gul'dan happened to spot him, he could teleport or fly away.

 The raven hopped onto a small and a bit too thin branch that swung slightly beneath him, making Khadgar flutter his wings slightly to keep his balance but thankfully Gul'dan didn't notice anything and just kept murmuring incantations of some sort....perhaps a portal spell?

Only now did Khadgar notice that Gul'dan had closed his burning red eyes and that he was clearly focusing on something. _Could he be summoning demons?_ The mage wondered.

If so, Khadgar knew he should fly away quickly. There was nothing worse than having to deal with a rain of infernals. Such amount of fel energy would be dangerous even to someone of his power.

 The raven eyed the orc warlock from a branch to the creature's side and the warlock didn't seem to notice him at all. Whatever Gul'dan was up to, he'd find out and report to the champions.

 Suddenly, the orc opened his fiery red eyes and gazes to his side, directly at Khadgar who was sitting on the thin branch that barely managed to carry his weight. The orc's eyes started to burn with mix of red and green and his left hand was engulfed with the fel flames that burned brightly, radiating the corruptive energy.

The human mage felt a cold feeling of dread take over his heart when he realized that Gul'dan had spotted him and that he was about to attack him. Even though he had faced many dangerous foes, Gul'dan was not someone he wanted to face alone. The orc's magic was powerful, corruptive and most of all destructive, and he was capable of destroying whole armies. The warlock's desire to see both Azeroth and Draenor devoured by his masters in Burning Legion made him a dangerous foe, one that had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

 “Khadgar....it is not polite to eavesdrop,” The orc told the mage in a low and dangerous tone, his soft voice sending chills down the human man's spine. The orc's grin widened into a sneer of pure malice and his eyes burned with hate and dark intentions. The warlock promised only pain and suffering to Khadgar who had to act fast if he wanted to keep his life.

Khadgar was fast to react and he tried to take off as fast as he could, but the weak and thin branch beneath him served as a poor platform, giving him no support whatsoever. He felt clumsy and slow, flapping and beating his wings unceremoniously in the air.

 Before he could get any altitude, a sphere of fel fire hit his bird form hard, burning his body and mind worse than a stab from a sword or poisonous knife.

Khadgar let out a pained yell that came out as a loud croak from his bird form and he fell down, hitting the corrupted and burnt ground hard. The human mage tried to steel his mind and turn back into human form so that he could battle Gul'dan in his full strength, but to his horror, he found himself unable to transform.

When he turned his head slightly, he saw green ethereal chain around his form, running along his wings and body as well as neck, binding him to the feeble raven form.

 _I have to get away now,_ Khadgar realized instantly and he tried to unleash his magical energy to break the fel chains but the reaction was volatile. The energy burst around him but it was instantly absorbed into the chains, sapping and draining the magic.

“Your attempts to break the chains with your petty magic will be futile, human...I made this spell just for you...a gift if you will...” The orc chuckled and he was now completely relaxed and enjoying the sight of the struggling mage who was clearly in pain and desperate.

 _Damn you Gul'dan!_ Khadgar cursed in his mind. Now he understood why the vile orc warlock had focused so long....a mere fel bolt was a simple feat, a spell one could cast in mere seconds. However, Gul'dan had added a spell to bind his magic and physical form so that he couldn't move or use his own magic to defend himself.

  _This is bad....I have to get out of here,_ Khadgar thought, trying to stay calm. He tried to weakly get off the ground but all he managed to do was raise his head and move his wings weakly. The fel fire burned his body and soul in a way that was unbearable. The corruptive energies seeped into his flesh, corrupting and perverting his very being and soul. If this continued, who knew what could happen. He had seen first hand what fel could do to a living being and the idea of getting corrupted was scary and something he dreaded. Getting rid of even a little bit of fel was a pain.

But then again, if he didn't manage to get away this instant, a certain death would await him.

 _Guess I don't have to worry about that,_ Khadgar thought slightly bitterly. Orcs took no prisoners and Gul'dan only wanted to get rid of him.

The chain sapped his strength, leeching his life energy away. Khadgar tried to weakly get rid of his magical shackles, but all he could do was move and writhe in pain in his raven form, looking truly laughable and disgraced to the orc warlock who was slowly walking towards him. Gul'dan took his time, after all the human magus was not a threat to him right now. The small bones chimed slightly with each step he took...sounding like a message of impeding death and destruction.

 “How kind of you to seek me out, Khadgar, you spared me the trouble of hunting you down myself. I'm very busy these days as you can see, and I have little time to play with little morsels such as yourself,” the warlock chuckled darkly, his deep and soft voice sounding almost like a purr, “But, I think I can make an exception with you...Khadgar”. The warlock's tone dripped with malice towards man and it was clear that he wanted the human mage to suffer.

The raven stared at the orc who was approaching him like a predator, knowing that the weakened human mage was not match for him in his current state.

“Look at you, mage,” the orc chuckled, sneering at the small bird who writhed weakly in pain. The warlock hit the ground with his staff and knelt down to inspect his work, “Pitiful, I thought you'd put up more fight, human...” the warlock murmured, his red eyes gleaming with dark intent. “You of all should know what I am capable of,” the orc continued, reaching out with his large hand towards the earthbound raven.

“I find it very...unfair that you know so much about me when I know little about you, mage. I think this is an excellent opportunity to learn what makes you scream in agony...what it takes to break your spirit down.”

Khadgar panicked when he saw Gul'dan reach for him. The orc could easily crush him or snap his neck with a flick of a wrist while he was in his raven form. With desperate attempt to keep the orc at bay, he pecked the sharp nailed, almost claw like hand of the orc warlock who just chuckled. Gul'dan was clearly amused by his pitiable attempt to keep him at bay.

 “Amusing...” the warlock sighed and cocked his head slightly to the side so that his red eyes shone darkly in the shadow of his hood. The warlock's sneer like grin indicated that he was merely playing with Khadgar and enjoying every minute of it.

Before Khadgar had any chance to do anything, the warlock's hand lunged at him, grabbing his bird form roughly with his green hand, almost breaking his bones and wings.

Khadgar grunted/croaked in pain. Not only was the searing fel flame chains burning his body, but now Gul'dan was crushing his body as well.

The warlock's sneer got more malicious each passing second and he applied more pressure around Khadgar's body to the point he almost broke the raven's bones. The bird cawed and croaked in pain, trying to desperately wriggle out of Gul'dan's hold.

For a moment, the malicious and dangerous power hungry warlock just held Khadgar in his hand, studying the mage who was clearly in agonizing pain. If the pain had been only physical it wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but the fel chains scorched Khadgar's mind and soul in a way that would leave him scarred for life if this continued.

“You know, human,” The warlock started quietly as he stood up, leaning against his staff, “I think I'll keep you around for a while longer. I will enjoy breaking you...and only when I've achieved that will I end your miserable life,” the warlock laughed, baring his teeth and tusks at Khadgar before casting a sleep spell to put the raven-form bound man to sleep, “You'll see my master burn your world and everything you love to ashes,” Was the last thing Khadgar heard before the forced sleep that was filled with nightmares took him over.

 Gul'dan scoffed and glanced at the citadel.

“I need to find a proper cage for you, human...” the warlock muttered before casting a portal spell and stepping inside the doorway. And who knew, maybe his master wanted the mage alive. He could certainly use a plaything.

 


End file.
